Some previous tissue mapping systems acquire the position of multiple points on the surface of the tissue to be mapped, and use the individual point positions to generate an image of the target tissue surface by interpolating a surface between the individual points. To acquire the position of each point, a user positions a probe at the point on the surface, and the position of the point is recorded. The user moves the probe to multiple points on the surface, and the position is recorded for each point. To create a 3D model of the surface using this and similar methods, the mapping probe must be moved to a relatively large number of points on the surface to be mapped, which increases the procedure time. Additionally, models generated using these techniques include measured position information only for the points that are actually touched by the probe during the mapping procedure; the rest of the surface points are interpolated and thus subject to error.
It would be beneficial to be able to map tissue without having to use methods that require a point-by-point position sensing in order to create a model of the target tissue.